renegade334 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Hey everybody! I am from Switzerland and plan to attend either McGill or UBC as an economic graduate student. I know that the economic department at UBC is better ranked than the one in McGill. However, McGill's general ranking is better. Knowing that I plan to go back to Europe after I get my MA, I was wondering if my chances on the labour market will be better with a McGill or UBC degree in economics. Thanks to anybody who can give me advice!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iphi Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 I think either are fine. Nothing beats Vancouver for four months of the year, but Montreal will have more of a European vibe. What aside from ranking is important to you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalofan4255 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 I'd go with mcgill on this one. Congrats on two very fine acceptances! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renegade334 Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 Thanks a lot for your answer! I know Montreal is an awesome city, but I don't really care where I live. What is most important to me is the quality of education and the reputation of the degree I'll get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalofan4255 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Yeah, ubc is a great school too, but mcgill has a better reputation in the states. Not wanting to go into academia, I'd say mcgill. Wonderful school, wonderful people! It's on par with cornell, nyu, northwestern, Carnegie, Brown, Michigan, and ucl I'd say. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalofan4255 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Yeah, ubc is a great school too, but mcgill has a better reputation in the states. Not wanting to go into academia, I'd say mcgill. Wonderful school, wonderful people! It's on par with cornell, nyu, northwestern, Carnegie, Brown, Michigan, and ucl I'd say. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s33 Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 A dissenting view from a Canadian with some knowledge of these programs and universities. First, in terms of the respective strengths of the economics departments, UBC is much stronger. It is in the top tier of Canadian programs, and McGill is not. Second, as to overall university strength/reputation, UBC actually outranks McGill in some prominent international rankings; eg ARWU. It is certainly not a clear cut decision om general university strength, while in the specific discipline UBC is unquestionably superior. Btw, i have no axe to grind here, as i attended neither school. Good luck with your decision, blueivy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MathCat Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I don't think there's a clear answer of which is better - both are good choices. For me, it would come down to other factors - location, cost (Montreal is much cheaper to live in!), personal preference, etc.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalofan4255 Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 McGill has a stronger rep in Europe and the US though because it recruits there, UBC recruits less so. He's just going for an MA, not a PhD, so rankings matter less so. McGill econ is still strong. Yeah it's not so cut and dry, but I personally would weigh towards Montreal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nugget Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Can you ask some profs or recruiters in the field from your country what they think? They may be able to provide further insight. Congrats on your offers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renegade334 Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 Yes that's a very good idea jenste! McGill has a stronger rep in Europe and the US though because it recruits there, UBC recruits less so. He's just going for an MA, not a PhD, so rankings matter less so. McGill econ is still strong. Yeah it's not so cut and dry, but I personally would weigh towards Montreal. It's true that, overall, McGill is more recognized than UBC in Europe. But don't you think that employers in the field of economics and finance will know that UBC economic department is better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hussman Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 You should definitely ask your professors/grad students in Europe for advice about this. Montreal is a pretty nice city though! Yeah, ubc is a great school too, but mcgill has a better reputation in the states. Not wanting to go into academia, I'd say mcgill. Wonderful school, wonderful people! It's on par with cornell, nyu, northwestern, Carnegie, Brown, Michigan, and ucl I'd say. Good luck! Wow, not even close. Those 7 universities are far better than McGill for grad school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MathCat Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Wow, not even close. Those 7 universities are far better than McGill for grad school. Depends on field (perhaps you're right about in economics, I wouldn't really know). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueivy Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 i'm not qualified to comment on this with certainty (am currently deciding between MA econ offers myself), but i didn't even bother applying to Mcgill for Economics. UBC is generally considered either 1st or 2nd in Canada for Econ, whereas McGill doesn't even break the top 6 (UBC, Toronto, Queen's, Montreal, UWO, SFU). McGill may have a better overall reputation so if it was in the top 3 canadian schools it would be worth considering, but anyone in the field would tell you that it is not considered 1st tier for canadian econ programs. everyone i spoke to when applying to grad schools said to just ignore mcgill econ and focus on the top 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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